Bruchhäuser Mühle in Holzappel - a stopover on the way to France

Ten wpis po polsku

From our home in Poland to Paris it is about 1,400 km. With four kids we did not want to drive it all at once, so we split the trip into two days with a night in Germany on the way. It was supposed to be just a simple stopover, but it turned out to be one of the nice surprises of our May holiday in 2019.

This is the first post from our trip to France. The plan of all the days, from leaving on 27 April to coming home on 5 May, is in our post May holiday in France with kids.

Day one: 832 km across Germany

On Saturday, 27 April 2019, we packed our golden Ford Tourneo Custom and set off west. On the first day we drove 832 km, with six breaks to rest and stretch our legs. Cars do not pay for motorways in Germany.

For the night we booked a stay at Bruchhäuser Mühle in Holzappel through Booking.com.

Bruchhäuser Mühle: a stopover that surprised us

We did not expect much from a stopover: beds, a shower and a good night's sleep before another day of driving. Instead, we found a lovely white house in a green valley, with stables, a restaurant and a playground.

The kids quickly found their favourite spots:

• the ponies in the field by the house,
• the swings and the merry-go-round on the grass,
• the horse and wagon on the playground,
• the forest path right behind the house, perfect for running around after a whole day in the car.

In the evening we all got together in one big bed for a family photo and some apples before sleep. After a day like that, it was the best rest we could have.

Holzappel and the Lahn valley

Holzappel is a small town in Rhineland-Palatinate, in the Nassau Nature Park, about 11 km west of Limburg an der Lahn. The Bruchhäuser Mühle mill is outside the town itself, in the valley of the Gelbach stream.

Fun fact: for two hundred years, from 1751 to 1952, there was a mine here where people dug for lead, zinc, silver and copper. In its best years up to 900 people worked there. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe also visited Holzappel in 1815.

Day two: 553 km to France

On Sunday, 28 April, we drove on. The second part was shorter, 553 km in three stages. In France you pay for motorways, and at the toll gates you can use a normal bank card, also contactless.

That day we reached our goal, the Le Chêne Gris campsite near Paris, where we had booked a mobile home for the whole week through Eurocamp. The next day we went to explore Paris.

On the way back we also stopped for a night in Germany, this time in Glanbrücken. You can find more of our trips to Germany in our guide Germany with kids.

Practical info

• Route: we drove 1,385 km from Poland to Paris in two days: 832 km on the first day and 553 km on the second.
• Stopover: Bruchhäuser Mühle, Bruchhauser Mühle 1, 56379 Holzappel, a guesthouse with a restaurant in the Gelbachtal valley. We booked it through Booking.com.
• Germany: motorways are free for cars and vans up to 3.5 t (as of November 2026).
• France: you pay motorway tolls at the gates by bank card or contactless. On sections without barriers you have to pay online within 72 hours (as of November 2026).
• Paris area: to drive in the low emission zone you need a Crit'Air sticker, ordered in advance on the official website certificat-air.gouv.fr. You can read more in our post about Paris in one day.